Uncle Edward

My Dad called at 6:00 this morning to let me know that Uncle Edward had passed away during the night. He was 80 years young.

Uncle Edward was an electrician and he loved to use his gifts to help God's work go forward. There are dozens of churches across this country and overseas that are all wired up, thanks to Uncle Ed. He also like to make burl clocks. He made scores of them for the Adventist media ministries who would in turn sell them to generate financial resources with which to keep going.

Uncle Ed's health slowly slipped away in recent years. Several weeks ago, while home alone, he slipped and fell in the driveway while trying to get his trash can out to the curb. He laid there for 20 hours before being found by a postal carrier. Uncle Ed was taken to the hospital and later transfered to a nursing home where he finished out his life here on earth.

Uncle Ed was a growing Christian. Through the years God mellowed him into a sweat, Christian gentleman. I'm looking forward to seeing him on the resurrection morning when Jesus comes.

Sabbath in Calistoga

Today I went to church in Calistoga. The church is made up of almost 200 members. The building is modest, but representative. The people clearly love their church -- you can feel it as soon as you walk through the doors.

The Sabbath School class was taught by Janet Borisevich-Mezenov, an old friend from PUC days that I had not seen in a long, long time. The English professor in her came through very clearly. She was articulate and stimulated thoughtful discussion. PUC is blessed to have her on their faculty roster.

The worship service was in two phases. The first phase was more of a church family time. There was a song service, welcome, and announcements. The Beginners Sabbath School made a presentation -- thirteenth Sabbath style. What was interesting to me was that this department is not led by young mothers, but by perky, energetic grandmother types. Then there was a children's story. Phase one went for about 45 minutes and then things transitioned into the more formal worship service. The whole thing felt very traditional, and yet there were simple worship choruses sung as congregational responses and there was a garden of prayer. The sermon was given by a young Bible worker who shared his conversion story. And as can happen, the chorister and worship elder didn't seem to know what they were doing at times. The congregation just rolled with it and told them what the next thing was suppose to be when things got mixed up.

I am quickly coming to the conclusion that church hopping is the pits. I like having a church home with the people who make up my church family. These are the people I do life and ministry with. We worship together every Sabbath. We do church in a way that is honest in terms of who we are in Christ. I like exploring how things are done in other churches, but I thrive best in my own church home. How many more weeks until I can return?

Calming Down

Last night while we were waiting for our photo class to begin the woman who sits behind me asked for assistance with some technical matter. The woman sitting next to her jumped right in and said, "Don't ask him!" I just smiled and said, "You got that right!" Deep down inside I was laughing my head off.

I'm not stressing out about this class anymore. Bit by bit many things are beginning to click for me. Some things still don't make sense, and that's okay. The prof is low key and somewhat fluid with his expectations and assignments. I'll get done what I can get done and let the rest go. If I pass, great! If I flunk, who cares? I will still know more than I did when I got started.

This weekend I need to start working on my two portfolios projects. I have gotten clearance from the Russian River Rose Company to do some photo shoots at their place -- they are just around the corner from where Wanda Seiber lives. They've got some great roses and really fun stuff in their yard.

Last Wednesday I also picked up a communications class held at the Marriott in Santa Rosa. The class was a lot of fun. One thing I have learned about small group, one day seminars -- tell the presenter early on in the day who you are and what kind of work you do and they will tailor a lot of their presentation around your issues.

General Conference is in Day 3. Today officers were elected: Ted Wilson, President: GT Ng, Secretary; Robert Lemon, Treasurer. I really think we need to pray for God's guidance in these meetings through the coming week.

Tomorrow I'm going to visit the Calistoga Church -- I'll keep you posted.

Stressing Out

I am technologically challenged. There – I’ve admitted it. So what did I do? When I’m suppose to be relaxing, I went and signed up for a digital photography class. I can no longer rest in the comforts of all that automatic stuff – I have to learn how to understand and manage the diverse manual settings. And the whole thing is stressing me out. Kind of stupid, isn’t it? My family keeps reminding me to figure out what I can and let go of the rest and to just have fun with all this. Slowly I’m catching on.

Digital Photography Class

Today begins the second of five weeks in my digital photography class at SRJC. I think I am starting to get the hang of it. Things like ISOs and White Balance are starting to make sense. I’ve got a lot to learn. My big problem right now is that there is a sensor spot inside my camera and it shows up on all my pictures. Hopefully we will be able to get that cleaned up tonight. The other night the woman sitting next me said, “So why are you taking this class?” Good question. I’m taking it because I want to develop my photography hobby. I’m taking it because it will enrich my creativity. And I’m taking it so that I can step outside the church world and meet real people in the community.

Bumping Into Friends

Yesterday Linda and I celebrated our 32nd anniversary. While we were enjoying dinner at a Healdsburg restaurant, in walked Richard, Nikki, and Bradley Privat. They sat at the next table and we enjoyed talking back and forth. Suddenly Richard leaned in close to tell me some church news. Nikki immediately jumped in to tell him that he could not talk about church things. The whole thing cracked me up. First of all, I wanted to know about the item Richard had to share with me. Second of all I appreciated Nikki's efforts to protect my sabbatical.

Today I worshiped at the Santa Rosa Church. Again I bumped into special friends. The Bresees and Labrucheries were there. And we talked ... LOL. From time to time I hear about the worship services at Santa Rosa. I found the people to be friendly. The music was well done. The praise band had piano, two guitars, a bass,and drums. Four men carried the vocals. The drums did not offend me. I just wish I had known more of the songs -- at least half of them were not familiar to me. I also appreciated the fresh approach Pastor Ron took in his Father's Day message. After taking 10 or 15 minutes to lay the foundations for his message, he invited 4 dads up for a panel discussion. I loved the humor and honesty. And I was touched by the invitation for dads to come forward for a special prayer of blessing.

After the worship service I enjoyed talking with my friend Brad Gienger. He has just been picked up by the Dakota Conference and that is such exciting news. Now they just have to decide if they are going to put him right into a pastorate or send him straight to seminary. Either way, he is a happy man. Especially with his marriage to Kristen just a few weeks away.

Axioms

Lately I've been thinking about the axioms I live by. Here is a starter list:

It’s not about me
It’s all about Jesus
It is a privilege to serve
God first. Family second. Work third
Give more than you take
My relationships are more important to me than my being right
Be conservative with yourself and liberal with others
The attitude choice is always mine
Always believe the best about others
Negative monkeys can not climb on my back unless I stoop down and invite them on
Always take the high road
Money always follows vision
Live within your means
You can’t out give God
I don’t have to -- I get to
Do whatever it takes
You can eat an elephant one spoon full at a time
The way to avoid criticism is to say nothing, do nothing, be nothing
QTIP: Quit Taking It Personally
When leading a church, it is better to work with the cultural grain of that church instead of against it
I feed the horses that show up
Listen to your critics not only for what you can learn about yourself, but about them as well

Moving

Last Tuesday evening Linda and I flew up to Seattle to spend a few days with our kids. On Wednesday and Thursday we packed Jeff up and on Friday we cleaned out his apartment. On Sunday we drove home and dropped all Jeff's stuff in the garage. This makes the fifth move in our family in the last 5 years. I really hate moving. Just let me stay where I am with the people I love!

On Sabbath we went to camp meeting. This is the first time since I was a teenager that I was able to go to camp meeting and not be on assignment. On Sabbath morning I attending the thirty something Sabbath School. They broke us up in small groups to work through a passage in the gospels. In our group was a young man with a scruffy beard and long dreadlocks. Normally I would write a guy like that off, but God taught me an important lesson about not judging people by their appearances. This guy has a true walk with God -- it showed not only in his face but in the quality of insights he had to share about the passage we were studying.

For the worship time Linda and I went with Jeff to the young adult tent (17-29 year olds). The speaker was Dr. Matt Gamble -- a young, up-and-coming preacher. Matt wrote his doctoral dissertation on the subject of effective preaching for young adults, so I was interested to not only hear his message, but to see how he did it. I'm the kind of guy who wants his sermons to hang together in a very logical, organized, 1-2-3 fashion. Not Gamble. He was all over the place. It was a full case of preaching with ADD. I guess it takes all kinds.

Ruthlessly Eliminate Hurry

One of the things I ask God for on a regular basis is that He will speak to my life through a reading of the Scriptures, sermons, podcasts, and other reading. Yesterday He spoke to me in a rather profound way.

John Ortberg, pastor of the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, is one of my favorire preachers. I enjoy listening to his podcasts. As I listened to one of his recent messages he told the story of the time he went to famed Christian philosopher Dallas Willard and asked, "What must I do to enjoy a healthy spirituality?" And Dr. Willard simply said, "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life." He went on to distinguish between external business and an inner state of hurry."

That was the encouragement I needed to slow down and enjoy the easy cadence of a daily walk with Jesus.

Gelato Therapy

I'm all for healthy eating, but every now and then the human spirit must be fed a bit of extravagance. Today we made a trip down to Powell’s for a bit of gelato therapy. Just a small cup of tropical (pineapple and coconut) and burgundy cherry gelato. It sure was good! Every time I eat gelato, I am carried back to the Piazza della Signoria in Florence where I had my very first gelato. Just cattycorner across the piazza from the David replica is a very fine gelato shop with an amazing frozen mango confection. Then down the street going towards the Duomo is an even larger shop where each of the gelato trays is topped with a decorative piece of fruit. Gelato is health food – health food for the soul.

Sabbath Togetherness

Today we have enjoyed a quiet Sabbath together. This morning we watched Fireproof together. Then we went to the beach for a picnic lunch and a walk. It was foggy and a bit cool. Then we came home and spent more time reading and talking together. Tonight we're going to enjoy the updated Oklahoma. What a day -- me and the lady!

The Poet's Gift

Last Sabbath Ruth Welker put special effort into being at church. It was great to see her. Before going home she slipped a gift into my hands -- a book of her poetry. Now I am not a huge fan of poetry, and yet I am reading one of Ruth's poem each day and am blessed by her gift. Ruth has a profound love for God, a colorful perspective of nature, and a lyrical way with words. This morning's poem was especially encouraging:

O for a lonely little spot
To sit alone and rest~,
To let your thoughts just wander by
And feel that you are blessed!


To see the beauty all around,
The grass its deepest green,
The leaves that shimmer in the sun,
Displaying silver gleam.


The little country road is laced
With brushes all around:
They slightly quiver in the breeze
And listen to its sound.


The sunlit sea of drifting clouds~
Like a majestic band~
In faithfulness pursue their course,
Held by eternal hand.


O for a lonely little spot
To sit alone and rest~,
To feel your heart from burdens freed
And know that you are blessed.

Go Take a Nap

I grew up on the adage, "Don't just stand there -- Do something!" Right now I'm thinking about that whole thing in reverse. Perhaps there are times when it is best to not do something and to just stand there. Or sit. Or even lie down. Probably the two most significant things I have done today is to have my devotions in a hot tub of water and to take a nap. It felt good.

What I'm Feeling

Last Friday night Linda said, "I want to talk. I want to know what you are feeling go into this summer break." At that point I had no idea what to tell her. Now I have a little bit of an answer.

I feel like a college kid who has just taken their last final and is now on summer break. Just like the college kid taking their finals, life has been intense for the last few weeks. I'm tired. I'm relieved. I'm resting up for a few days and will then be ready to take on the summer adventure.

I'm also feeling an uncomfortable, but healthy stretch in my faith. I keep thinking, "I hope so and so will take care of ____ at the church. I hope such and such will happen" and it is totally out of my control. I have to let go. I have to let God take care of the whole thing. Not a bad spot to be!

Day One

Today is Day One of my sabbatical. I’m excited. I’m prepared to embrace this journey. I fully anticipate a profound sense of rest and renewal as the Lord leads me through the quiet spaces of the next three months.

People have asked why I am doing this. I suppose that it could be argued that this is the right thing to do because the Northern California Conference provides such a benefit for qualifying pastors. It could further be argued that after 32 years of intensive pastoral ministry that it is time to take a break. While both of these explanations are valid, they seem rather inadequate for me. I am taking this sabbatical because I believe that it is in the best interest of the two churches I serve.

I believe that healthy pastors are essential for healthy churches. I believe that churches deserve to have pastors who are fresh and vital. Pastors who are brimming with creative ideas. Pastors who have the ability to look their people in the eye and fully engage in a meaningful conversation. Pastors who can move with the rhythms of their congregations. Pastors who are sure about their calling and clear about their vision.

People have also asked what my plans are for the coming three months. In my morning devotions I plan to study the gospel stories and identifying the strategies Jesus used to build margin into His busy life. I plan to take time to forge strong connections with my wife, children, parents, and siblings. I plan to take some classes: Digital photography, How To Be An Outstanding Communicator, and the Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics course. That last class should help me to cut through the stack of books I want to read during this renewal break. I look forward to the therapy of time spent working in the garden. I want to take a number of day trips that will open up new vistas in creativity, spur reflective thought, and connect me to my local community. And

I invite you to check in every few days – it will be our way of staying in touch over the next few months. We can share spiritual insights, discoveries, and personal news. We can truly journey together.